Opening Night

By Katey Khaos

You’ve probably never heard a band categorize itself as “Brewcore,” but Opening Night thinks that it suits them perfectly. “Beer is one of our inspirations, so yes, we invented a brand new music genre!”

The band ~ Joe West (guitarist/lead singer), Lyle McKay (guitar and vocals), Justin Perry (bass) and Dan Sullivan (drums) ~ who got their name from, as West explains, “…the back of a Worcester Ice Cats flyer that said, ‘Kids Opening Night’…I just liked the way it sounded,” put their impressive combined talents to work creating what they describe as “a raw, fast and sometimes ridiculous experience.”

Blink182, Four Year Strong, and New Found Glory are just a few of the bands who have influenced Opening Night ~ and like these bands, their music is centered around both failed relationships and life experiences. Perry also acknowledges a strong musical connection to music legends David Gilmore and Jerry Garcia.

The band’s first album, the awesome No Don’t Touch It (2005),features mosh-worthy tracks like “Last Call” and “Katie’s Song,” and they’re “…going to be releasing a second, self-titled album this fall… or at least by 2026,” the band jokes.

Opening Night also puts on a killer live show. “We were the ones in the packed crowds for so many years…We really just feel honored to be able to perform to an audience and get positive feedback after the shows. It makes all the practice to this point so worth it.”

If you’re looking for a guaranteed fun night out, check out Opening Night when they play live at The Lucky Dog on Thursday, August 18th!

www.brewcore.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Opening-Night/230929563594073

M-DOT

By Bruce Sullivan

For hip-hop fans who can appreciate an authentic underdog story, the story of M-DOT is sure to satisfy. M-DOT, real name Michael Januario, is an Italian-American MC whose unlikely climb from working class Italian neighborhood to the doorstep of hip-hop stardom reads more like the pages of a pulp novel than a rapper’s bio. But, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction.

And truth is the one element M-DOT delivers through his remarkable rhymes that separates him from the pack of wannabe pimps and gangsters. “I don’t talk about living on a yacht, selling crack every day, or murdering people. I don’t need a facade, image or falsely lavish painted picture to try and impress.” Instead, he paints an authentic picture of real life struggle and survival, one that his audience can relate to.

M-DOT’s latest, titled More Doubters Over Thinking, which turns into an acronym designed to “…smear all the critics who didn’t ever foresee me being here,” demonstrates his growth and broad musical background. “It never stays in one mold, club, extra boom bap 90s hip hop, conceptual, hardcore.” But like his previous hit “Backstabbers,” MDOT is strongest when he turns to the smooth grooves of 70s soul. “My mother was a huge influence…and I still love soul music.”

Strong tracks include “No Hold Up,” a song about striving and surviving, and “How Can I Pretend,” a lucid nightmare of bogus friendships and takers. “False Acts” describes returning from tour “…and friends…thinking I am super successful financially.  When the truth is, I am barely getting by…with a son and another baby on the way.”

Like a modern day Rocky Balboa, M-DOT has fought his way to success, touring Europe three times and being named both the 2010 Boston Music Awards and the 2010 Boston Phoenix Hip Hop Artist of the Year. Check him out @ www.mdot.us or download his CD for free @ hulkshare.com/k5f47laqha2s.